Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Michelob Dunkel Weisse

You're watching the game or Family Guy or The Office when a commercial comes on. So you start channel surfing, with every intention of returning back to the show you were watching. But something catches your eye long enough to distract you for more than the 3 minutes available. Ten minutes later you realize you're watching some dumb-ass programming and you missed an important part of the original show. Sucks, doesn't it?

But every once in a while, the show you were only using to avoid the Progressive commercials turns out to be a gem, better than the one you were watching. That happened to me a few days ago. I actually didn't even really want to go to PBS but rather just start at the beginning, Channel 2. But a split second of this guitar player made me stick around. It was a concert by Benise, who plays this Spanish Flamenco-style music on his guitar. It's really nice music, and some of the other band members and theatrics in the show I was watching were excellent too. I was telling a guy at work about him and when asked, I couldn't even answer if he is Spanish or American or Martian. Turns out he's from a farm in Nebraska--so much for sexy. But he is an extremely talented musician, and I recommend everyone to experience his music.

On the recommendation of a beer friend from Facebook (where my account was "disabled" today for some reason, sorry friends), I am drinking Michelob Dunkel Weisse, a dark wheat ale brewed by Michelob in St. Louis, Missouri. This friend told me that it's one of the best from a mass brewer, so let's see.

This smells like the banana bread that I end up making every few weeks with the overripe ones on the counter. (It's that or garbage. And my wife gets in good with the office when she takes it for them). So banana bread, with the cinnamon and nutmeg in it. Nice aroma. Flavors are much of the same--lots of bread and banana flavors, a little spicy too. Not sweet, not bitter, nice in that way. This beer has a light body and medium-high carbonation that produces lots of bubbly action in your mouth. The flavors are fleeting but do leave some kind of metallic banana on your palate when it's all over. Easy to drink. I think you could take this to a party of semi-friends, ones that aren't your best buds, but also those that you don't want to see you bringing some Beast or God forbid, Presidente. Try it. It's cheap also.